GB2337985A

GB2337985A - Hinge arrangement for a container assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2337985A
Application number: GB9812226A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerard Millot
Original assignee: Lin Pac Mouldings Ltd
Current assignee: Linpac Mouldings Ltd
Priority date: 1998-06-05
Filing date: 1998-06-05
Publication date: 1999-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 2018-06-05
Also published as: FR2779413A1; FR2779413B1; GB9812226D0; GB2337985B

Abstract

A container assembly has a base 1 with a upstanding side wall 2. Extending from the side wall are a pair of flexible flanges 4 ad 5 carrying trunnions 6 which engage in sockets 17 located on opposite sides of a bearing block 13 for the side wall 2 to pivot about a trunnion axis 7 on the base 1. The trunnions 6 are engaged with their seatings 17 by flexure in the direction of axis 7 as the side wall is manoeuvred in direction of axis 7 relative to the base 1. When the side wall 2 is erect, blocks 6 or 9 on flanges 4 ad 5 engage in recesses 20 and 25 of the base to prevent the wall 2 from being displaced axially relative to base 1 and thereby prevent removal of the trunnions 6 from their seatings 17. When the side wall is pivoted to a collapsed condition (where it may overly the base 1 or project therefrom in co-planar relationship) the blocks 8 and 9 are pivoted clear of the recesses 20 ad 25 to permit the wall 2 and base 1 to exhibit relative axial displacement for removal of the trunnions from the seatings 17.

Description

2337985 A CONTAINER ASSEMBLY

Technical Field and Background Art

The present invention relates to a container assembly and is particularly concerned with containers of the kind having first and second walls which are mounted one on the other by coaxial trunnions engaging in seatings for the walls to be rotatable or pivotable relative to each other about the trunnion axis. With such containers, it is known for the trunnions to be engageable and disengageable with their respective seating by flexure of the pivotal components in the direction of the trunnion axis and relative to the walls of the container. Usually the flexural engagement is in the nature of snap engagement as the trunnions cooperate with their respective seatings and there is a resilient axial flexure of the pivotal components. Whilst the aforementioned engagement between the trunnions and seatings is convenient as being a relatively simple and inexpensive feature of the container assembly it does have the disadvantage that the two walls may be unintentionally disengaged by inadvertent axial flexure of the pivotal components to disengage the trunnions from their respective seatings so that a container may be inadvertently opened or collapsed to discharge goods which it may contain. Also the walls of the container may be tampered with to disengage the trunnions from their seatings for unauthorised opening of the container and possibly theft, damage, or contamination of the goods in the container. It is an object of the present invention to provide a container assembly by which the aforementioned disadvantages may be alleviated.

Statement of Invention and Advantages

According to the present invention there is provided a container assembly comprising a first wall mounted on a second wall by a pivot assembly comprising co-axial trunnions engaging in seatings for the walls to be pivotable relative to each other about the trunnion axis between an erect condition and a collapsed condition remote from the erect condition; said trunnions and seatings of the pivot assembly being inter engageable and disengageable by flexure of the pivot assembly effected by displacement of the trunnions relative to their respective seatings in the direction of the trunnion axis, and wherein one or more stop means are provided which engage between the two walls when said walls are in the erect 2 condition to restrain said relative displacement in the direction of the trunnion axis and thereby restrain flexure of the pivot assembly to prevent engagement or disengagement between the trunnions and the seatings and which stop means disengages from between the two walls, when said walls are in the collapsed condition, to permit said relative displacement in the direction of the trunnion axis to thereby permit axial flexure in the pivot assembly for engagement or disengagement between the trunnions and the seatings.

Typically each wall will extend in a generally flat plane. In their erect condition the two walls will usually extend generally perpendicularly relative to each other. Such an arrangement will be usual for a container of rectangular parallelopipedon shape where the second wall may be a base of the container and the first wall an upstanding side wall which is pivotally mounted on the base. Alternatively, each of the first and second walls may be adjacent upstanding side walls of the container one of which is pivotally mounted on the other to provide a side door to the container. A further possibility is for the second wall to be an upstanding side wall to the container and the first wall a pivoted top member which closes an otherwise open top for the container. With such a container having a base, upstanding side walls and possibly a pivoted top, the erect condition for the first and second walls will be when the container is assembled for storage and possible transportation of goods and the top member. if provided, is pivoted to close the top. It will be appreciated that the aforementioned " generally perpendiculaC relationship between the first and second walls will have a very wide tolerance in the actual angle subtended by the two walls as required by the design of the particular container.

Usually each wall will extend in a cenerally flat plane and in the collapsed condition the two walls will usually be located in generally parallel planes. In the collapsed condition, the first and second walls may be in a generally overlying relationship or the first and second walls may extend from each other to be generally co-planar. In an arrangement in which the second wall is the base of a container and the first wall is a side wall of the container which is upstanding from the base in the erect condition, the container may be collapsible and have a plurality of the first walls which provide collapsible sides for the container to be upstanding from the base in the erect condition 3 to present an open top to the container. With the plurality of pivotally mounted side walls extending upwardly from the base in the erect condition, typically to form a container of rectangular parallelopipedon shape, the side walls in the collapsed condition may be pivoted inwardly of the container to overlie the base and provide a compact assembly as may be convenient for storage or transportation when the container is not required for use. Alternatively, the side walls in the collapsed condition may be pivoted outwardly of the container so that they are splayed on the base to facilitate access to their inner faces - this is particularly convenient for cleaning the inside of the container and it may also provide a flat, relatively thin assembly for convenience of storage and transport.

Preferably at least one of the trunnions or seatings is carried on the respective wall by flange means which flange means is flexible on its respective walls to permit engagement and disengagement between the trunnions and their respective seatings. The axial flexibility of the or each flange is conveniently provided by resilience in the material from which the flange means is formed. Typically the walls and their respective trunnions, seatings and flanges are moulded in a plastics material which provides the necessary resilient flexibility for engagement or disengagement of the trunnions with their respective seatings. The latter engagement or disengagement will usually be effected as a result of relative displacement between the first and second walls in the direction of the trunnion axis whereby, typically, the aforementioned axial displacement between the two walls will be effected in a first direction to engage one trunnion with its respective seating and thereafter in the opposite sense of axial direction to engage an opposing trunnion with its respective seating whilst the first and second walls are in a collapsed condition.

An important arid particularly advantageous feature of the present invention is that when the first and second walls are in their erect condition, the stop means interengages between the respective side walls to prevent flexure in the pivot assembly and thereby prevent the trunnions from disengaging from their respective seatings. Consequently, whilst the side walls are in an erect condition, the likelihood of one of those side walls being removed from the other without damage to the sidewalls is greatly alleviated. Consequently unauthorised opening of a container formed wholly or in part by the sidewalls can be alleviated together with unintentional or accidental opening of the container, for example 4 by removing a side wall from the base whilst that sidewall is in its erect position.

The stop means preferably comprises a first abutment means carried by one of the first and second walls which co-operates with a second abutment means carried by the other of the first and second walls to restrain reflexure in the pivot assembly in the direction of the trunnion axis and thereby restrain disengagement of the trunnions from their seatings when the two walls are in their erect condition and which first abutment means disengages from the second abutment means to permit flexure in the pivot assembly in the direction of the trunnion axis as the two walls are pivoted to or towards to the collapsed condition for permitting engagement and disengagement of the trunnions with their seatings. With this latter arrangement it will be appreciated that the first abutment means may disengage fully from the second abutment means during relative pivotal movement between the first and second walls as those walls move from their erect condition to their collapsed condition and well before a fully collapsed condition of the container is effected - the main consideration is that the fixst and second abutment means co-operate with each other to prevent flexure of the pivot assembly in the direction of the trunnion axis which is sufficient to prevent the trunnions from disengaging in their respective seatings whilst the walls are in a erect condition.

Drawings Embodiments of a container assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of first and second walls of a first embodiment of the container assembly showing those walls positioned to be fitted together by engagement of trunnions with respective sockets; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the container assembly in Figure 1 showing the two walls engaged in their erect condition (and ghosted in their collapsed condition); Figure 3 - is an exploded perspective view of two walls of a further embodiment of the container assembly showing trunnions on one wall being located for manoeuvring to engage with seatings on the other wall; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the walls shown in Figure 3 with those walls engaging and in an erect condition, and Figure 5 is a side elevation of the walls in Figure 4 diagrametically illustrating those walls pivoted to their collapsed condition.

Detailed Description of Drawings

For convenience, part only of the container assembly has been illustrated, that part comprising a generally flat planar base 1 and a generally flat planar upstanding side wall 2. For the present example the base 1 may be considered as rectangular with the side wall 2 pivotally mounted along one side edge of the rectangular base. The three other side edges of the rectangular base 1 may each have an upstanding side wall 2. The four sidewalls can be fixed upstanding with respect to the base 1 to provide a rigid container body of which the one pivoted side wall 2 provides an openable flap or door. Alternatively each side wall 2 may be pivotally mounted on the base 1 in a similar manner to provide a fully collapsible open topped container. The side wall or walls 2 and the base 1 will be formed as one piece plastics mouldings to include components for a pivot assembly by which the wall 2 and base 1 are inter-engaged.

In the embodiment of the assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2, the side wall 2 is provided with an end face 3 from which projects a pair of parallel flanges 4 and 5 which are spaced longitudinally over the longitudinal extent of the side wall 2. Located one on each of the flanges 4 and 5 are a pair of co-axial cylindrical trunnions 6 which are directed towards each other between the flanges 4 and 5 and have a trunnion axis 7. Formed on the flange 6 4 adjacent to the end face 3 is a stop or block 8. A similar stop or block 9 is also formed on the flange 5 adjacent to the face 3.

The base 1 is provided on its inner face 10 at a marginal edge part 11 of that face with a bearing block 13 having an upper face 14 and opposed side faces 15 and 16 which are spaced longitudinally over the longitudinal extent of the base 1. Located one in each of the side faces 15 and 16 of the bearing block are a pair of bearing sockets or seatings 17 (only one of which is visible in the drawings). Longitudinally spaced from and opposing the face 15 of the bearing block and upstanding from the inner face 10 is a stud wall 18 having an abutment end face 19 which opposes the side face 15 of the bearing block to form a recess 20. A further upstanding and longitudinally extending stud wall 22 on the inner face 10 of the base is longitudinally spaced from the side face 16 of the bearing block 13 and presents an abutment end face 23 which opposes the side face 16 and forms therewith a recess 25.

The plastics material from which the one piece side wall 2 is moulded provides for resilient flexibility in the flanges 4 and 5 so that such flanges can flex in the direction of the trunnion axis 7 to increase the longitudinal spacing between the trunnions 6. This permits the flanges 4 and 5 to be flexed so that they open away from each other to a temporary splayed condition in which the trunnions 6 can engage one with each of the seatings 17 with the flanges 4 and 5 straddling the bearing block 13 (with the flange 4 adjacent to the end face 15 and the flange 5 adjacent to the end face 16). The fitting of the trunnions 6 to the seatings 17 is conveniently achieved by a manual operation whereby the base 1 and side wall 2 are located, approximately, in a side-by-side co-planar relationship and manoeuvred so that one trunnion 6 is located in its appropriate seating 17. The side wall 2 and base 1 are then displaced relative to each other in the direction of the trunnion axis 7 (that is longitudinally of the respective wall or base) so that the trunnion 6 that is fitted to its seating 17 is urged axially into engagement with that seating with sufficient force to cause the flange 4 or 5 (as the case may be) to flex and thereby increase the axial spacing between the trunnion 6 sufficient for the second trunnion 6 to be manoeuvred until its snap engages with the second seating 17. The resilience of the flanges 4 and 5 ensures that both trunnions 6 are securely engaged and retained in their 7 respective seatings 17. In Figure 2 a ghosted side wall 2 is indicated by broken lines illustrating the position in which that side wall may be fitted for its trunnions 6 to engage with the seatings 17 as a pivot assembly by which the side wall 2 is pivotally mounted and retained on the base 1 to be pivotable between a collapsed condition 30 and an erect condition 3 1. In the collapsed condition 30, the side wall 2 and base 1 extend in generally parallel planes (which may be co-planar) with the side wall 2 projecting outwardly from an edge of the base 1. To achieve the erect condition 31 where the side wall 2 extends upwardly from base 1 (possibly to perpendicularly from the base 1), the side wall 2 is pivoted into the direction of arrow A (Figure 2) from its collapsed condition 30.

As the side wall 2 approaches its erect condition 31 during pivotal movement from its collapsed condition 30, the blocks 8 and 9 projecting from the flanges 4 and 5 move into the respective recesses 20 and 25. As a consequence, in the erect condition the flange 4 together with its block 8 is closely received in the recess 20 between the opposed faces 15 and 19 whilst the flange 5 together with its block 9 is closely received within the recess 25 between the opposed faces 16 and 23. Furthermore in the erect condition the end face 3 of the side wall 2 may be supported in face-to-face contact with upper face 14 presented by the bearing block 13 and the stud walls 18 and 22. Such support should ensure that a greater loading may be applied through an upstanding side wall 2 as compared with such loading as would normally be permissable solely through the engaging trunnions 6 and seatings 17. From the aforementioned description it will be apparent from Figure 2 that, when the blocks 8 and 9 are accommodated in the recesses 20 and 25 respectively, the abutment of those blocks with the abutment faces 19 and 23 ensures that the side wall 2, whilst in the erect condition 31, cannot be displaced in the direction of the trunnion axis 7 and relative to the base 1 sufficiently to flex the flange 4 or 5 to achieve disengagement of the trunnions 6 from their respective seatings 17. It is extremely unlikely therefore that the side wall 2 can be inadvertently disengaged from the base 1 whilst that side wall is in its erect condition (which condition will easily be temporarily maintained by a lock or catch to engage between that side wall and adjacent side walls of the container). When it is required to remove the side wall 2 from the base 1, that side wall is lowered from its erect condition to or towards its collapsed condition 30 sufficiently for the blocks 8 and 9 to move out and clear the respective recesses 20 and 25 thereby permitting the side wall

8 to be displaced in the direction of the trunnion axis 7 and relative to the base 1 to flex one or other of the flanges 4 and 5 so that at first one and then both of the trunnions 6 can be disengaged from their respective seatings 17 as the side wall 2 is manipulated relative to the base 1.

The embodiment of the container in Figures 1 and 2 permits the side wall 2 to open outwardly of the container from its erect condition 31 to its collapsed condition 30 as shown in Figure 2 so that in the collapsed condition the inner face 2A of the or each side wall and upper face 10 of the base 1 are conveniently presented for cleansing (or so that the container assembly can be stored or transported when not in use as a thin flat pack).

In the embodiment of Figures 3 to 5, the flanges 4 and 5 and their respective blocks 8 and 9 are located on the inner face 2A of the side wall 2 (rather than on the end face 3 as in the Figure 1 embodiment) and the stud walls 18 and 22 are located adjacent to a peripheral edge of the base 1 (rather than the spaced from that edge as in the embodiment Figure 1) to locate the recesses 20 and 25 on the side of the seatings 17 adjacent to the edge of the base 1 from which edge the side wall 2 is to extend (rather than on the side of the seatings 17 remote from the aforementioned edge as in the Figure 1 embodiment). With the aforementioned arrangement in the container assembly of Figures 3 to 5, the side wall 2 is to have a collapsed condition 30 in which it overlies (and may be substantially parallel with) the base 10 as shown in Figure 5. In the collapsed condition 30 the flanges with the blocks 8 and 9 are clear of the recesses 20 and 25 respectively, so that the flanges 4 and 5 may be flexed in a similar manner to that previously described for the first embodiment to locate the trunnions 6 in their respective seatings 17 on the bearing block 13. In this collapsed condition 30 as shown in Figure 5, the side wall 2 may also be removed from the base 1 in a manner similar to that previously described for the first embodiment of the illustrated containers. With the side wall 2 mounted on the base 1 through the pivot assembly as shown in Figure 5, that side wall may be pivoted about the trunnion axis 7 and in the direction of arrow B in Figure 5 to the erect condition 31 (shown in Figure 4) where the flanges and their blocks 8 and 9 are closely received in the recesses 20 and 25 respectively to prevent relative longitudinal displacement between the side wall 2 and the base 1 in the direction of the trunnion axis 7 and thereby prevent the 9 side wall and base from being manipulated in a manner to disengage the trunnions from their respective seatings whilst the side wall is in its erect condition 31. It will be seen from Figure 4 that when the side wall 2 is in its erect condition 3 1, the trunnions 6 engage with their seatings 17 on the interior of the container thereby alleviating the likelihood of the flanges 4 and 5 being tampered with from the exterior of the container to prise the trunnions from their seatings for unauthorised removal of the side wall from the container.

In the second embodiment the side wall 2 or side walls pivot inwardly of the container from the erect condition 31 to the collapsed condition 30 to be adjacent and overlie the base 1 thereby providing a compact assembly convenient for storage and transportation when the container is not in use.

It will be appreciated that the container assembly of the present invention may have several side walls which are pivotally mounted on the base 1 with one or more of those side walls being pivoted in the manner shown in the embodiment Figures 1 and 2 and one or more of those side walls being pivoted in the manner of the embodiment shown in Figures 3 to 5. It is also to be appreciated that whilst the trunnions 6 are located on the resilient flanges 4 and 5 and the seatings 7 are located on the bearing block 13, the arrangement can be reversed whereby the seatings are located on the flexible flanges and the trunnions are located on the bearing block.

Claims

A container assembly comprising a first wall mounted on a second wall by a pivot assembly comprising co-axial trunnions engaging seatings for the walls to be pivotable relative to each other about the trunnion axis between an erect condition and a collapsed condition remote from the erect condition; said trunnions and seatings of the pivot assembly being inter-engageable and disengageable by flexure in the pivot assembly effected by displacement of the trunnions relative to their respective seatings in the direction of the trunnion axis and wherein a stop means is provided which engages between the two walls when said walls are in the erect condition to restrain said relative displacement in the direction of the trunnion axis and thereby restrain flexure of the pivot assembly to prevent engagement or disengagement between the trunnions and the seatings at which stop means disengages from between the two walls when said walls are in the collapsed condition to permit said relative displacement in the direction of the trunnion axis to thereby permit axial flexure in the pivot assembly for engagement or disengagement between the trunnions and the seatings.

2 An assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which each wall extends in a substantially flat plane and in the erect condition the two walls extend generally perpendicularly relative to each other.

3 An assembly as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 in which each wall extends in a substantially flat plane and in the collapsed condition the two walls are in substantially parallel planes.

An assembly as claimed in claim 3 which in the collapsed condition the first and second walls are in substantially overlying relationship.

An assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which in the collapsed condition the first and second walls extend from each other to be substantially coplaner.

11 An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the second wall is a base of the container and the first wall is a side wall of the container which is upstanding from the base in the erect condition.

An assembly as claimed in claim 6 in which the container is collapsible and has a plurality of said first walls which provide collapsible sides for the container to be upstanding from the base in the erect condition.

8 An assembly as claimed in claim 7 in which the container when erect is in the forTn of a rectangular parallelopipedon having a rectangular base on which are pivotably mounted four rectangular said first walls which in their erect condition provide opposed ends and opposed sides for the erect container.

9 An assembly as claimed in either claim 7 or claim 8 when appendant to claim 4 in which at least one of said first walls in its collapsed condition is pivoted inwardly of the container to overlie the base.

An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9 when appendant to claim 5 in which at least one of said first walls in its collapsed condition is pivoted outwardly of the container.

1 An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which at least one of the trunnions or seatings is carried on its respective wall by resiliently flexible flange means which permits engagement and disengagement between the trunnions and their respective seatings.

12 An assembly as claimed in one of preceding claims in which the stop means comprises first abutment means carried by one of the first and second walls and which co-operates with second abutment means carried by the other of the first and second walls to restrain flexure, in the pivot assembly in the direction of the trunnion axis and thereby restrain disengagement of the trunnions from their respective seatings with the first and second walls in the erect condition and which 12 first abutment means disengages from the second abutment means to permit said flexure in the pivot assembly in the direction of the trunnion axis as the first and second walls are pivoted about the trunnion axis and relative to each other to the collapsed condition.

13 An assembly as claimed in claim 12 when appendant to claim 11 in which resiliently flexible flanges are carried by the first wall, the first abutment means comprises blocks on those flanges, and the second abutment means presents recesses on the second wall, and wherein said blocks are located to engage with the recesses when the first and second walls are in their erect condition so that such engagement restrains displacement of the first wall relative to the second wall in the direction of the trunnion axis and thereby restrains displacement of the trunnions relative to their seatings in the direction of the trunnion axis and said blocks are displaced to clear said recesses as the first wall is pivoted relative to the second wall to or towards the collapsed condition to permit the first wall to be displaced relative to the second wall in the direction of the trunnion axis and thereby permit the trunnions to be displaced in the direction of the trunnion axis relative to their seatings for disengaging from the trunnions from those seatings.

14 A container assembly substantially as described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.